Monday, March 18, 2024

MCGG April Meetings ... Join Us!

 Here are our meetings for April 2024.

MCGG Friday group meets in-person (hybrid) Friday, April 5, 2024, at 1 p.m. in the Auditorium B/C of the Mount Clemens Public Library. Our topic is ... Using Maps to Enhance Your Genealogy presented by Lisa Eschenburg.

Our presenter will cover various ways to find historical maps and then use them to enhance our understanding of our ancestors, and use them to enhance sharing our genealogy with our family.

 

MCGG Let's Talk...Genealogy discussion group meets in-person (hybrid) Wednesday, April 10, 2024, at 6:30 p.m. in the Local History & Genealogy Room of the Mount Clemens Public Library. Our topic is ... Comparing Our Paper and DNA Ethnicity Results.

There is a pre-meeting assignment for this topic so those attending can more fully participate. This assignment will be sent out to our mailing list this week. Let’s talk about comparing our Ancestor Birthplace Pedigree Charts/Locality Pedigrees to our DNA Ethnicity Results and why these may not match up.

 

Our plan is that our meetings will be hybrid meaning the meeting will be in-person with a virtual Zoom option. The Zoom meeting link (or registration link) will now be found on our Southeast Michigan Genealogy Events Calendar and our Facebook page. Members will receive a reminder email with the Zoom invite or a reminder that registration is required for a meeting.

New attendees are always welcome.


See you at our favorite library!
LE

Monday, March 11, 2024

The March MCGG Let's Talk...Genealogy Meeting is THIS Wednesday, Mar. 13

MCGG Let's Talk...Genealogy discussion group meets in-person (hybrid) this Wednesday, March 13, 2024, at 6:30 p.m. in the Local History & Genealogy Room of the Mount Clemens Public Library. Our topic is ... Organizing Our Genealogy Stuff.

Let's share and compare how we organize our stuff.

Our plan is that our meetings will be hybrid meaning the meeting will be in-person with a virtual Zoom option. The Zoom meeting link (or registration link) will now be found on our Southeast Michigan Genealogy Events Calendar and our Facebook page. Members will receive a reminder email with the Zoom invite or a reminder that registration is required for a meeting. 

New attendees are always welcome.


See you at our favorite library!
LE

Thursday, March 7, 2024

MyHeritageDNA "Grandfathered In Sale" Extended thru Mar. 10; Upload for Free Get Advanced DNA Tools Free Forever

We just heard that this  ... MyHeritageDNA's  fantastic promo has been extended until March 10, 2024.

Have you taken a DNA test at another testing site (i.e. AncestryDNA, FamilyTreeDNA, 23andMe, etc.)? If so, you can download your DNA data from that site and transfer/upload it to MyHeritageDNA.

Why? It gets your test(s) into another DNA pool to fish for matches -- you never know where someone has tested. See some other reasons listed further down below.

And Why Now? From today until March 4 NOW EXTENDED TO MARCH 10, when you upload your DNA test data to MyHeritageDNA you get the advanced features (normally $29 to unlock) for FREE FOREVER! Thus what many genealogists like to call the Grandfathered In Sale.

Haven't tested yet but would like to? MyHeritage is currently having a Special DNA Sale for autosomal DNA test kits which ends soon. The DNA test itself is regularly $89. This particular sale is offering a 30-Day Complete Free Trial to its website option also for the sale price of $39 plus taxes and shipping. If you already have a data subscription or just don't want the free trail, there is an option for just the test at the sale price.

But note that after the 30 days, the complete subscription will auto-renew unless you cancel the auto-renewal a couple days before the renewal date. For this initial renewal you will get 50% off ($149 instead of $299) the first year and additional years will be at the current regular price. You can cancel at any time.

The "Grandfathered In" Transfer Sale does not happen every year so when it happens catch it while you can. MyHeritage has guides to help you download your DNA data from whichever website you tested at originally. And, don't worry your original test stays on that original site.

MyHeritageDNA is becoming a "must be at" for its DNA tools. Its customer base is more international. MyHeritage has chromosome browser feature and made its internal member messaging feature free. It also offers an ethnicity/admixture report and a list of DNA matches. No data subscription is needed to see/use all the DNA matching features including its AutoCluster feature. A few additional features were added earlier last year and the year prior -- like an update to its ethnicity estimates and genetic groups including viewing the genetic groups of your match and seeing what you have in common.

See you at our favorite library!
LE

Wednesday, March 6, 2024

MCGG March Friday Meeting is THIS Friday with a Member Discussion Panel

MCGG Friday group meets in-person (hybrid) this Friday, March 8, 2024, at 1 p.m. in the Auditorium B/C of the Mount Clemens Public Library. Our topic is ... Why Should I Join a Genealogy/Historical Society?  MCGG Member Discussion Panel.

Member/Long-time genealogists on our panel will discuss the topic.

Our plan is that our meetings will be hybrid meaning the meeting will be in-person with a virtual Zoom option. The Zoom meeting link (or registration link) will now be found on our Southeast Michigan Genealogy Events Calendar and our Facebook page. Members will receive a reminder email with the Zoom invite or a reminder that registration is required for a meeting.

New attendees are always welcome.


See you at our favorite library!
LE

 

Wednesday, February 28, 2024

RootsTech 2024 Begins Feb. 29, Runs Thru Mar. 2; Virtual Expo Hall is Now Open

RootsTech 2024, the annual genealogy and technology conference held in Salt Lake City, Utah, and virtually worldwide, will open tomorrow, February 29, 2024 and run through March 2, 2024. Its virtual Expo Hall is now open.

Visit it to find all sorts of information on various vendors and a variety of sales and savings on a variety of products and services.


Register to attend live classes virtually for free and to access various recordings for the next year. Not that note all in-person sessions are recorded.

To register, just use your FamilySearch.org website free user account.

What can you find in the Expo Hall?

Sales on DNA -- especially what we call the "Grandfathered In" DNA Transfer Sale. Upload your autosomal DNA data from (AncestryDNA, 23andME, or FamilyTreeDNA) and get full access to all the DNA tools without having to pay the usual $29 unlock fee. This sale runs until March 4, 2024. See our February 27th post. 

There's a sale on AncestryDNA as well and 50% off subscription memberships for new or not currently active subscribers but this company's sales run Feb. 29 to Mar. 2, 2024.

FamilyTreeDNA has a variety of DNA tests on sale from Feb. 29 to Mar. 29, 2024. Even the autosomal unlock fee is on sale at $9 (reg. $19) for the autosomal transfer (which is free). See the FTDNA's virtual booth for the sale codes. 

Get a discount off a new subscription to DNA Painter. There is a 50 percent off discount on RootsMagic 9, and for Family Tree Maker there is a 60% off show special -- get FTM 2019 now and FTM 2024 when it is released. This pricing is good for those that have FTM 2017 or earlier OR even if you are a first time purchaser of FTM. Ancestral Quest has a promo discount code good until March 4, 2024.

Interested in Vivid-Pix software for photo editing? Visit the Vivid-Pix virtual booth and get 20% off. There is also some savings on Vivid-Pix education and the Vivid-Pix Memory Station.

Get discounts on memberships too. American Ancestors aka The New England Historic Genealogical Society -- for new and renewing members. There is a discount for new and renewing members of the New York Biographical and Genealogical Society too.

Have fun with RootsTech 2024 over the next few days.

See you at our favorite library!
LE

 

Tuesday, February 27, 2024

MyHeritageDNA "Grandfathered In Sale" Now Until Mar. 4, 2024; Upload for Free Get Advanced DNA Tools Free Forever

Just as we hoped for RootsTech ... MyHeritageDNA is running a fantastic promo until March 4, 2024.

Have you taken a DNA test at another testing site (i.e. AncestryDNA, FamilyTreeDNA, 23andMe, etc.)? If so, you can download your DNA data from that site and transfer/upload it to MyHeritageDNA.

Why? It gets your test(s) into another DNA pool to fish for matches -- you never know where someone has tested. See some other reasons listed further down below.

And Why Now? From today until March 4, when you upload your DNA test data to MyHeritageDNA you get the advanced features (normally $29 to unlock) for FREE FOREVER! Thus what many genealogists like to call the Grandfathered In Sale.

Haven't tested yet but would like to? MyHeritage is having a Global DNA Sale for autosomal DNA test kits which unfortunately ends today, February 27, 2024. The DNA test itself is regularly $89. This particular sale is offering a 30-Day Complete Free Trial to its website option also for the sale price of $39 plus taxes and shipping. If you already have a data subscription or just don't want the free trail, there is an option for just the test at the sale price.

But note that after the 30 days, the complete subscription will auto-renew unless you cancel the auto-renewal a couple days before the renewal date. For this initial renewal you will get 50% off ($149 instead of $299) the first year and additional years will be at the current regular price. You can cancel at any time.

The "Grandfathered In" Transfer Sale does not happen every year so when it happens catch it while you can. MyHeritage has guides to help you download your DNA data from whichever website you tested at originally. And, don't worry your original test stays on that original site.

MyHeritageDNA is becoming a "must be at" for its DNA tools. Its customer base is more international. MyHeritage has chromosome browser feature and made its internal member messaging feature free. It also offers an ethnicity/admixture report and a list of DNA matches. No data subscription is needed to see/use all the DNA matching features including its AutoCluster feature. A few additional features were added earlier last year and the year prior -- like an update to its ethnicity estimates and genetic groups including viewing the genetic groups of your match and seeing what you have in common.

See you at our favorite library!
LE

Saturday, February 17, 2024

3-Day Sale FTM Double-Upgrade Sale: FTM2019 Now, FTM2024 When Released

For members and readers who use Family Tree Maker software.

Most FTM users know that announcements are made via Software MacKiev's FTM newsletter mailing list which due to its extremely large size is sent out in a staggered release. If you own a version of FTM or don't but are just interested, make sure you register to receive the upgrades updates email newsletter.

One of MCGG's emails is registered on that email newsletter as owning FTM2017. This afternoon that email received the latest FTM email newsletter announcing a Double Upgrade Sale. Upgrade to FTM2019 now for $29.95 and receive FTM2024 for free when it is released.

Yes, this is similar to the sale ran at the end of December/beginning of January. So if you missed that one, you have a few days to decide on this one.



But remember! If you just upgraded to FTM2019 at the very end of 2023/beginning of 2024 you already get the next new version that comes out in the next two years. So, you are good to go but you can check out the other items in the FTM store, some of which are on sale too. (Just be sure to double-check/remove the app purchase from your cart since you already have it. Some items have the same sale price but some don't through the main FTM Store Gift Collection.)

Currently, FTM2019 is the only version that can sync a FTM tree file with an Ancestry member online tree. A fix was said to be in the works for Family Tree Maker 2017 to sync again also but it has not happened yet and that software is 6/7 years old. We've no news if this is still the plan or not. With FTM2019 being 4/5 years old we guessed in one of our prior posts (just us guessing) that a new version may be in the works considering the brand will be celebrating 35 years in 2024.

See our prior post on the 3-day sale for FTM2019 owners on some of the new features described by that FTM email newsletter.

With this FTM email newsletter, Software MacKiev made sure to convey there are dozens of more features, large and small. Such as support for hyphenated dual surname support. "And there's extensive work "under the hood." Work that makes this by far the fastest and most stable Family Tree Maker ever built. One that can handle BIG trees. Really big. Hundreds of thousands of people big. And even if your tree isn't absolutely gigantic, you're going to feel the difference."

The Turn Back Time® feature introduced in FTM2019 will expand from 1,000 to 5,000 changes ago. Again, Tree Vault® Cloud Services will be a one year free trial and besides acting as up to the minute backup of your main tree, it will be the hub for several collaborative features mentioned in our prior post.

See the Easy on the Eyes feature in action using the link to this sale's store front above. Just click on the green Easy on the Eyes link below the Double Upgrade pricing chart on that page.

FamilySearch Integration 2.0 will allow you to download an entire branch from a FamilySearch tree into Family Tree Maker and get hints linked to more than SIX BILLION online FamilySearch historical records. A unique new source of records for Family Tree Maker users – for free.

Software MacKiev also updated its Comparison Table to include FTM2024. There is still no information released on the minimum system requirements for either the Windows or Mac version of FTM2024. When we spot it we will let you know.

The FTM Facebook page has not received any updates/changes since August 2022 so there is no new news from that platform. With the demise of the Ancestry Message Board for FTM (Windows) there is a void in community helping community. While there is a Facebook Family Tree Maker User Group it is a closed group so non-Facebook users can not access it or even view it.

The company does not seem to be on other social media so use caution there. Remember, Software MacKiev Family Tree Maker only has LiveChat for customer support not a phone number. If you  do a internet search and find a phone number, you do not have the official customer support for Family Tree Maker. It is someone posing/scamming people.

The new collaboration features or other tools may not sway everyone to pre-order FTM2024. But consider this, the two latest versions of FTM will be five and seven years old this year. As new upgrades are released, less likely are updates to the older software versions. Why pay twice as much later (regular price $79.95) when you can pay less now? You don't have actually upgrade your tree files right away, but can have the program (save the email, receipt and download the installation file and save to safe place) on hand when you need or decide to do it.

Computers and their operating systems are being built to last five years or so with updates. But eventually hardware limitations eventually negate updating. Gone are the days of safely running old software on old computers unless you never take that computer on the internet. But if you are running that way, will you be able to even transfer your very important files to someone with a more modern computer?

See you at our favorite library.
LE